Fire Fighting Enterprises Ltd. (FFE), the Hitchin-based optical beam smoke detection company, has won the International Achievement category of the Fire Excellence Awards 2011. The Fire Excellence Awards are held every 2 years, and serve to recognise the exceptional achievements of companies in the fire industry. Fire Fighting Enterprises' already admirable export business has seen even further success this past year, with growth in overseas sales of nearly 15%.

The biggest growth market for the company has been in the USA, with sales of over £1M ($1.6M) there in the last year, resulting from a 30% per annum increase over the last two years. The American business became a focus for the FFE five years ago, when Bob Barker was appointed as a ‘Country Manager' operating on the ground in the USA.

Following from this, the company was able to offer localised support and sales services, and secured all the necessary regional, national and international certifications for their products to be used extensively throughout the United States. By 2008, the company had a new dedicated office and distribution centre based in Erlanger, Kentucky. Since then, uptake has been growing rapidly, as more and more customers have found good use for FFE's range of FIRERAY beam smoke detectors for wide-area applications. Service levels are always being improved, with online instructional videos now added to the company's continuous ‘Beam 101' training programme and site visits that ensure all customers know how to get the best from their beam detectors.

FFE's products are in use all over the world, with particularly strong interest from Europe, and, increasingly, the USA. The company is able to offer their optical beam smoke detection products to virtually all global markets, with certifications from dozens of national regulatory bodies and support materials translated into over 20 languages. The Fire Excellence Awards 2011 were presented at a gala dinner for the fire industry on Tuesday 17th May, at the Hilton Metropole Hotel in Birmingham. This coincided with International Firex 2011, where FFE launched their latest product development, the FIRERAY 3000.